The art of magic in Egypt

By Public Affairs Staff

– April 12, 2013

Ancient Egyptian magical practices are the focus when two UCLA professors conduct an entertaining and richly illustrated lecture at Cal State San Bernardino’s Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art – RAFFMA – on Friday, April 12, at 6 p.m.

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Magic affected every aspect of ancient Egyptian life – from everyday healing to royal intrigues. The material remains of ancient Egyptian magical practices include fascinating magico-medical papyri, amulets and assorted figurines. UCLA professors Jacco Dieleman and Elizabeth A. Waraksa will share the results of their personal investigations into the making and use of these artifacts, which were created to heal and protect.

Deileman earned his Ph.D. from the University of Leiden in the Netherlands in 2005 and is working as associate professor of Egyptology in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at UCLA. Deileman is currently preparing a text edition of an unpublished manuscript that is inscribed in demotic and hieratic with the instructions and incantations of the burial ritual performed for a woman named Artemis (The Artemis Liturgical Papyrus).

Waraksa is a lecturer in the Program of Study and Religion at UCLA. She received her Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies from the Johns Hopkins University in 2007. Her work includes an entry on female figurines on the Pharaonic period in the UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology. She also has excavated sites, including an Etruscan/Roman site in Umbria and at the Precinct of the Goddess Mut at Karnak in Luxor. This summer, Waraksa will be joining UCLA’s excavation at Jaffa (Tel Aviv).

About RAFFMA

The Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art is a nationally recognized museum accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, a Washington, D.C.,-based organization whose members must meet the highest standards in securing accreditation. During its 16-year history, RAFFMA has accumulated a permanent collection of nearly 1,200 objects focusing on Egyptian antiquities, ceramics and contemporary art. Located at Cal State San Bernardino, RAFFMA houses the largest permanent and public display of Egyptian art in Southern California.

General admission to the museum is free. Suggested donation is $3. Parking at Cal State San Bernardino is $5 per vehicle.

The museum is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and is closed Friday and Sunday. For more information, call (909) 537-7373 or visit the RAFFMA website.